Young gangsters on the rise; 75% between 10s-30s

A group of young gangsters in their 10s, 20s and 30s is seen in this undated file photo. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

Nearly 75 percent of gangsters rounded up during a monthslong police crackdown were between their teens and 30s, officials said Wednesday, suggesting a growing number of young gangsters in the country.

The National Office of Investigation said they have booked 1,183 gangsters, up 44.6 percent from the same period a year ago, and formally arrested 189 of them during the four-month crackdown that began in August.

Police have also confiscated the proceeds of 5.46 billion won ($4.2 million) from the crime before indictment, over threefold the amount collected last year.

When categorized by age group, 888 people were found to be in their 10s, 20s or 30s, followed by 210 people, or 17.8 percent of them, in their 40s and 85 people, or 7.2 percent, in their 50s.

Of them, 509 people, or 43 percent of the total, were found to be ex-convicts with over nine offenses, and 432 people, equivalent to 36.4 percent, ranged from first offenders to those with up to four offenses.

The gangsters mostly committed crimes in the form of business, including phone scams and by operating gambling sites, amounting to 44 percent of the total, followed by violence or extortion targeting citizens, which stood at 26.1 percent, and 21.5 percent were caught joining or engaging in gang groups.

"The young gangsters showed a high tendency to be nabbed for forming a new gang or engaging in existing ones among other crimes," the National Police Agency said, vowing to enhance their investigative capacity to counter various types of group violence centered on young gangsters. (Yonhap)